Bronxville Zoning Board OKs Driveway Expansion at 40 Duesenberry Road

Acting Chairman Charlie Law and the Bronxville Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to grant an area variance for 40 Duesenberry Road during the board's Feb. 10 meeting.

The board's resolution—read by Law—authorized an increase in the existing driveway width from 12 feet to 19.5 feet, citing local code referenced in the motion as 3-10-22-d. The application identified the homeowners as Andrew Helzer and his spouse; Helzer said the change is part of a larger, yearlong project that responds to flooding and a problematic basement garage and that the existing short, narrow driveway forces awkward multi-point turns and sometimes compels the family to park in the street. "parking in the street, which obviously is not, not the objective," Helzer said when describing the practical impact.

Board members asked for technical clarifications before voting. One board member asked how far the applicant would extend toward the left; Helzer said the section at the curb cut is roughly 6.5 feet and that the triangular addition represents about 20% of the former driveway area removed earlier in the renovation. The chair asked whether the applicant had secured a new curb cut; Helzer said the curb cut had not yet been obtained and that he would pursue it if the variance were granted. Helzer also told the board that drainage and planting measures were included in the larger project plans submitted to the board.

Chair Law called for the motion to grant the variance and invited each member to vote; the motion "carried unanimously," and Law told the homeowner, "You have 1 year to complete the work." The board recorded the project condition that the driveway work be finished within one year of the approval.

The board noted that similar driveway configurations exist on Duesenberry Road and that neighbors had expressed support. The meeting adjourned after the chair confirmed the board's next meeting date, Feb. 24, 2026.